At "MasterUSAmericans Dot Net", we have 35+ years experience in Computer Sciences, and earned a degree in Business in 1973. We know for you to be a success in your business venture, you must be able to get paid.

There are "link" Buttons to the left, but please wait until you finish reading this entire page, because if you wait, you will learn, and you will know which Button or Buttons are the ones that you need to push.

Every portion of your business needs to be developed to put money back into your personal piggybank. It will take time, so do not lose faith in your dream. Perhaps a Grandpa of Telecommunications can help, by diminishing your "learning curve".

We are very much into "economic regrowth" for the People of our Nation, and it helps us to help you. So with that thought in mind, I will teach you what I have learned over the preceeding 35 years of working this industry, and believe it will assist you substantially.

First, you will need multiple ways in which you can get paid. You will need to be able to accept payments by Credit cards, such as MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover. There are other good Credit Card companies, and their money is good money too. However, being the smart People that you are (that is why you are here learning) these 4 Credit cards will likely be the initial and ongoing heart of your business sales. Stick with me and read through the entire page, then act, because by the time you finish reading the entire page, you will be wiser, and know what to do, and how to do it.

Second, many People that do not have a Credit Card, do have a Prepaid Debit Card (one or more of them), which does function similar to a Credit Card, and allows them to purchase from you just as with a Credit Card. These are becoming very popular today, as the money on a Debit Card is their earned money that they deposited, and when their payment is approved by your "Credit Card Processing Company" (we will cover these too, later on in this page) it will be good money. These "Debit Cards" are becoming more popular, because since People are using the buying power of their own money, not money borrowed from their future earnings, there is no "interest" that they must pay, as when using borrowed money. I have both "Credit Cards" and several "Prepaid Debit cards". It is good to have the balance of both capabilities available for oneself.

Third, there are many People who have neither "Credit Cards" or "Prepaid Debit Cards". However they do have a "Checking Account" or a "Savings Account", and we can show you how to be paid by "E-Checks", "Virtual Checks", "Online ACH Drafts", which are all names for the same thing.

The single most important thing for you to have right now, and forever, is INTEGRITY. That means "fair dealings" with your present and future clients. ONE client that you do good business with can bring you FIVE more Customers (or many more). ONE client that you are NOT fair with, can wipe out your growing business, by telling FIVE (or many more) customers NOT to do business with you. And five more new customers that were referred to you can each bring you FIVE more new customers, so soon you have TWENTY FIVE customers....and it continues in a pyramid. Not an "MLM Pyramid Scheme", just the real way that business grows up. Can you see that each of those 25 could each bring you 5 more referrals, so in future you have 125 customers? And it will continue, as long as you keep "To the Penny Integrity" with EACH customer. Show them courtesy and fairness, because without CUSTOMERS you have NO business. Not only can any one of your customers that you cheated out of their money mess you up on no "referrals" to grow your business, but also they can file a complaint with your "Credit Card Processors", get a return of their monies, AND get you on a "blacklist" of merchants that ALL of the "Credit Card Companies" can and do see, and they will never let you establish a "Credit Card Acceptance Merchant Account" again. Lifetime barred. Are we clear on this? It is a PRIVILEGE (not a "right") to be able to accept Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and "E-Checks", so if you "keep it real", you should succeed very nicely.

At the same time, you, as a growing businessperson, a merchant, needs to be treated fairly also, and so over the years we have built tools to see that you are paid fairly for your work...your products and services, so that you do not lose either.

The Companies to the left, use "AVS" (Address Verification Services) to make certain that your Customer (perhaps someone new and unknown by you, and 3,000 miles away, is not using a stolen Credit Card, and having you send your Products or Services to them at an Address different than that of the actual Credit Card owner, who will certainly "dispute" the Charges made against their Credit Card that was stolen, and thus must be repaid their monies OUT of your Business Bank Account....after you have already shipped off your Products, your Software has been downloaded, or your Services already used. When your "Credit Card Merchant Account" and Processor "Gateway" use AVS, they are recording the SHIPPING ADDRESS and BILLING ADDRESS of each of your Customers, and will NOT "authorize" processing of the payment (and "order" for your Goods/Services, unless there is essentially an exact match up to the Address of the actual Credit Card owner. Should there at a later time be a Customer complaint that they never ordered the product/service that you billed them for, you will have a record of the order, and can match it up with the Address of the Credit Card owner. Your Bank will see this, and will not permit the funds to be removed from your Bank Account. Be certain you also have proof that you DID "ship" the product/service as ordered by the Customer.

"The TRUTH will set you FREE".

Also, your "Credit Card Merchant Account", and associated "Credit Card Processing Gateway" (needed if you also intend to sell over the Internet) will very likely offer "RealTime" transactions (determine this before you buy their processing Services), assuring that your Customer has sufficient funds to cover their purchase. These verifications are done automatically for you during the Internet "Checkout" process, so IF they do NOT have sufficient good funds, you never even receive the email from your Gateway telling you that you have a Customer "Order" from your website.  This policy obviously prevents you from having the unfair expense of accidentally "Shipping" products/services, that have not been, and may not ever be PAID FOR.

When the customer's Internet purchase transaction is good, and most often they are, your processing "Gateway" sends you a verification email (to the Email Address you preset on your account with them) notifying you of the Customer's Order, and giving you all the information needed to complete the transaction on your end. Most do NOT send you the Customer's Credit Card number, expiration date, etc., which you normally do NOT want to keep (may cause "security problems" for you, especially if you are a Home Based Business, unless you are fully prepared to secure your Customers' Credit Card information from loss).

The processing "Gateways" perform "AVS" and "RealTime" transaction funding verifications within split seconds, and your "Customer Order Alert Email" is in your Email Inbox momentarily. Normally funds are deposited to your Bank Account within 1-4 days.

Many of these "Credit Card Merchant Accounts" allow you to accept customer "orders" by POS (Retail settings, where your customer is actually right there at your business site) and also by Mail, by Telephone, by FAX, by online "E-Check", if you do it as they instruct. Look for the features you need. Many of them also offer a "Shopping Cart" to sell for you, often a FREE shopping cart is offered.

The "ACH Receive" and "ACH Send" payment processors on the links to the left, will substantially increase your Business' "Sales Volume", because you can accept payment from a Customer's "Checking Account" or "Savings Account".

Back on the subject of INTEGRITY, please make note of this WARNING. Never withdraw funds using "ACH" from anyone's Account without their specific authorization to do so. In addition to having to restore their funds in time, be aware that there is a $10,000 per month FINE for every month that you or your Company are improperly or illegally using the "ACH Network". Used correctly, "ACH" transactions can feed you, your Family, your Business.

Additionally, even to SEND money to someone's bank account by "ACH" (also known as "EFT"), such as you would do when sending "Payroll Direct Deposit", you must have a signed consent form (in advance) called a "prenote", from your Employee or "Independent Contractor".

You will likely find that some "Credit Card Merchant Accounts" offer certain features you want, and yet a different company offers different features that you also like. That is why my Wife and I currently use 3 different "Credit Card Merchant Accounts" AND an online payment "Gateway". But then, we have been doing this for awhile, and want to have probably more features than you might need at first. But then when you find that we gave you good advice on what you started with, it helped your business grow, and now you need more features to aid a maturing business? Guess you know where to come back for more.

Wishing you very good luck and much business success for many years.

Doc & Joyce

 

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